Otterbox Defender for iPhone 5c Review

I am a total iPhone girl! About a year ago, I traded in my iPhone 4 for the 5c, and I have been madly in love with this phone. With my old 4 I switched between the Defender and the Commuter, but ALWAYS had my phone in an Otterbox case! (And aside from replacing my Defender after it flew off the top of my car and cracked the case? I never had a single problem with either case and my phone. But for some reason, I dragged my feet on getting the Otterbox for my beloved 5c.

I had a SPECK case that was fine, until a series of drops and tosses left my case broken, it was finally time for a new case! But staring at the cases at my local Target, the OtterBox Defender Series Case was only $10 more than the speck (at $49.99 – although it’s $41 at Amazon.com right now!) and so I made the jump to the fully protected Otterbox! After swapping back to the Otterbox Defender Series for awhile? I’ve decided to write up a review of this fantastic case!

These cases are fantastic. There’s not really another way to describe them! The inner shell is a hard plastic, with a thick foam on the inside of the back. The Defender has a clear plastic screen protector (thicker than the films that you place on your screen) which you CAN keep your screen protector on inside of! (Although I tend to take mine off when inside the Defender – just personal preference!) The inner shell is secured together by 4 “clips” that are kind of a PITA to take apart, but once your phone is inside? It doesn’t make much difference.

Then there’s the thick rubber outer shell! This fits snugly around the plastic inner shell, and is what helps our phone to bounce back from crashes and falls! (Pun intended!)

There are plenty of YouTube videos out there to give you a great view of how these cases work, one of my favorites being from Unbox Therapy, showing the differences between the Commuter and the Defender!

My iPhone 4 was once left on the roof of my car while encased in the Otterbox Defender, I backed out of the driveway sending it flying into my gravel driveway. I was sure that my phone would have at the very least a cracked screen, but to my excitement? The only problem was one of the clasps that holds the inner shell together was cracked! I replaced it with an Otterbox Commuter, and called it good.

More recently? (And more embarrassingly) I was walking while texting (not recommended!) and tripped over a crack in the sidewalk – my phone went flying and bounced about 4 times into the street. At least one of those bounces was screen down, so again? I was sure the results wouldn’t be pretty! But the biggest problem was a small scuff on the corner of the rubber shell! (And it’s barely noticeable!)

My phone has been dropped from a scissor lift, countless 6 ft falls from the sound booth at church, drops from my pocket/hand/purse while walking, being thrown by my six year old, I could go on and on! But through it all? The Otterbox Defender has lived up to it’s promise in protecting my beloved iPhone!

I do have to admit – I have never once used the clip-case that comes with the Otterbox. (It’s bulky enough as is – which is on slight drawback, but you quickly get used to it!) But beyond the bulk? Let’s be honest – I think it looks crazy dorky! (Sorry Dad! I still love you!) So I store it safely in the glove compartment of my car, waiting for the day I decide I need to use it for some reason!